We’re looking at Gamdias Hermes E4 combo today which includes a 60% mechanical keyboard, a non-slip mat, and a 12800 DPI gaming mouse. Previously, we’ve looked at Gamdias’ E3 computer case and their CHIONE M3 AIO CPU Cooler. Gamdias was founded in 2012. For those unfamiliar with them, here’s a brief intro taken from their website
The combo we’re looking at today is quite the value offering – as of this writing it’s available for $64.99. Most mechanical keyboards alone are more expensive than that, not to mention adding on the cost of a mouse and anti-slip mat.
The included keyboard will appeal to the SFF crowd, as it is a 60% size keyboard – this is the smallest keyboard I have ever used in my entire life.
What’s in the box
The Hermes E4 comes in a mid-sized box comparable to that used for full-sized keyboards, which soft wrappings and molded foam for protection of the components.
- Hermes E4 60% Mechanical Keyboard
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- Gaming Mouse
- Gamdias’ themed mat
- Keycap Removal Tool
Anti-Slip Mat
The included anti-slip mat is Gamdias’ themed and measures 480 x 270 x 3 mm – just wide enough to seat both the keyboard and the mouse with room to maneuver. The mat is of decent quality. As the mat is white, you may wish to avoid having food or drink near it to prevent potential staining.
Gaming Mouse
- 127 x 66 x 42 mm
- 116g Weight
- 7 buttons
- 1200/2000/3200/4800/7200/12800 DPI
- 125hz Polling Rate
- Switch Lifecycle – 3 million clicks
I don’t really review mice, because I don’t feel I’m qualified to do an in-depth comparison. What I’ll say about this unit is that the construction is fairly sturdy, and for the most part it was just as good as the Nixeus and EKSA mice I’ve used in the past. However, at it’s highest DPI setting – 12800 – I felt there was a little bit of overshoot. When using DPI levels of 7200 or below, I didn’t notice this overshooting.
Unit Specifications – Hermes E4 60% Keyboard
- 60% Keyboard
- GAMDIAS certified Mechanical switches
- 50+ Million keystrokes
- Not hot-swappable
- This unit came with “Red” Switches
- 1.7m USB-A to USB-C cord
- Metal top plate
- N-key rollover supported
- Plastic Body
- Double shot ABS keycaps
- 1000hz Polling Rate
- RGB Lighting
The bottom of the Hermes E4 has basic keyboard feet, it does not offer height adjustment. However, in my testing the keyboard didn’t need a wrist rest or height adjustment in order to be used comfortably.
RGB Lighting
The patterns and colors of the lighting of the Hermes E4 keyboard can be changed with keyboard commands. There are 9 different patterns one can choose from. The video below shows it in a “breathing” pattern.
Usage Testing & General Comparison to other keyboards
The overall noise levels of the Hermes E4 keyboard is comparable to, but slightly louder than MSI’s GK50 Elite. It’s much quieter than DeepCool’s KG722 or Keychron’s K8 keyboards. Below are recording showing the loudness of Gamdias’ Hermes E4 keyboard, MSI’s GK50 Elite, and Keychron’s K8 keyboards. Recordings of other keyboards I’ve tested can be found on previous keyboard reviews.
I don’t claim to be an expert on mechanical keyboards, I am not Keybored or a guru from /r/mechanicalkeyboards. I can only talk about my experience with the keyboard as I use it, from the perspective of an “Average Joe”. For these keyboard reviews, I use the products at my day job which involves a lot of typing, and use the boards exclusively for 1-2 weeks to get a proper feel of how the unit performs. While testing the Hermes E4, I did not use a wrist rest – while you could use one in conjunction with the Hermes keyboard, you don’t need a wrist rest.
The following is my subjective view on how the Hermes E4 compares to Keychron’s K8, ROCCAT’s 121 AIMO, and MSI’s GK50 Elite.
The keys on the Keychron’s K8 with Gateron Reds tended to land hard and fast, with the slightest of resistance as they fall. I had to adjust my typing to be lighter with the K8 or my fingers would hurt a little bit, as when I typed heavily the tips of my fingers were impacted somewhat.
With MSI’s GK50 Elite, I didn’t have to adjust my typing at all. No matter how hard I mashed my fingers, the typing experience was very comfortable – almost as comfortable as the only other keyboard I’ve tested which I couldn’t mash my fingertips on, ROCCAT’s 121 AIMO.
The only “problem” I had with the Hermes E4 was adjusting to the 60% layout. This is the smallest keyboard I have ever used, and it was very odd not to have “native” arrow keys available when using this keyboard for office work. Barring this adjustment, however, the keyboard was a pleasure to use. Typing speeds were similar between the Hermes E4 and Keychron K8, but slightly slower than MSI’s GK50 Elite.
The experience using the Hermes E4 was unique in comparison to other keyboard. While I did notice the slightest bit of fingertip strain if I allowed myself to type heavily on the keys, it was barely noticable. If Keychron’s K8 had a finger mashing rating of 8, I would say the Hermes E4 rated a 2 or maybe even a 1. This is unique because most keyboards which I’ve encountered strain from, I would rate as being a level of 7-10. To put it another way: you could say that of all the keyboards which I’ve used that can cause fingertip strain, this keyboard caused it the least – and that’s a good thing.
Typing Tests/Noise Levels
Given that the keyboard, mat, and mouse cost only $65, I had expected the Hermes E4 to cut corners on loudness – but I was pleasantly surprised to find out it wasn’t a very loud at all. It is much quieter than Keychron’s K8 – and of a similar noise level to MSI’s GK50 Elite.
Teardown
Taking off the keycaps reveals the switches to be made by HUANO. The metal backplate is secured by nine screws.
The keys are soldered, so you won’t be able to replace the switches with other types unless you have a soldering iron and a lot of patience.
And here are two side shots, one showing the keyboard bar.
And here’s the exposed base of the keyboard, with all components disconnected
Conclusion
At the relatively low price of $64.99 for a keyboard, mouse, and anti-slip mat – I genuinely expected to find a lot of “cut corners” in this combo, so to speak. I was happy to find the keyboard both quiet, of decent build quality, and comfortable to type on.
Pros
- Great value at $65 – including keyboard, mouse, and mat
- Keyboard is comfortable to type on
Neutral
- Switches are soldered, not hot-swapabble
Cons
- Included mouse has some overshoot at the highest DPI levels
For more information about Gamdias Hermes E4 combo, check out it’s product page at Gamdias’ website
